Dr. iur. Alexander Schiemenz, LINDEMANNLAW — FuW Opinion Article, June 2026

Switzerland needs more winter electricity. But that doesn’t mean every wind turbine is a good one. Anyone who wants to put wind farms on a community’s doorstep must offer more than just the urgency of energy policy. They must prove that the site is suitable, both today and twenty years from now. Wind energy has political momentum in Switzerland. The federal government wants to expand renewable energy production, cantons must designate suitable areas, and since the Acceleration Decree, procedures for facilities of national interest are supposed to move faster. That sounds like progress. But it also sounds like a temptation: as if citing the energy transition were enough to dismiss local objections, landscape protection, noise concerns, biodiversity, and decommissioning issues as secondary matters. This is precisely where the mistake lies. Wind power is not a moral argument, but an infrastructure project. Infrastructure must prove its worth at the specific location—in terms of spatial planning, ecology, economics, and the law. This cannot be dismissed by citing urgency.

“Anyone planning wind turbines in ISOS areas won’t face romantics as opponents. They’ll face the Federal Supreme Court.”

1. What impacts do wind turbines really have and why isn’t looking at decibels enough?

In Switzerland, there is no fixed minimum distance between wind turbines and residential buildings. The decisive factors are noise regulation limits, sensitivity levels, topography, turbine type, and specific wind conditions. This sounds technical, but it is politically crucial. Because the impact does not end with decibel levels on paper. Wind turbines generate periodic noise, cast shadows, and dominate the visual landscape. Those who live nearby do not experience this as an abstract contribution to the power supply, but as an intrusion into their daily lives. This is not a criticism of the technology. It is a question of location.

2. Why doesn’t biodiversity end at the rotor?

Biodiversity, too, does not end at the rotor. Wind farms require access roads, foundations, assembly areas, power lines, and grid connections. In sensitive areas, this ancillary infrastructure alone can be the deciding factor. Collision risks for birds and bats, habitat loss, and disturbances are not theoretical risks. They must be assessed on-site, not glossed over in retrospect. A site that only works through ecological compromises is not a good site.

3. Is landscape conservation just romanticism?

Landscape conservation is more than just romanticism, too. Switzerland is densely populated, topographically exposed, and culturally shaped by its distinctive townscapes. Wind turbines have an impact far beyond their immediate location. They alter silhouettes, sightlines, and slopes. This observation is not a veto against wind power. It is a site-specific condition, and it is enshrined in Swiss law.

4. Why does ISOS decide on a wind power project?

The Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites provides a factor that is often underestimated. In a January 2026 ruling regarding Winterthur, the Federal Supreme Court clarified: As soon as a permit touches upon federal legal principles, the ISOS is directly applicable. Anyone planning wind turbines in or near ISOS-designated areas is no longer operating within the canton’s discretion. They trigger a qualified balancing of interests under Art. 6 et seq. of the Nature and Cultural Heritage Act (NHG). The Federal Commission for Nature and Cultural Heritage may be consulted. For investors and project developers, this means: An early ISOS review is not a luxury, but a requirement. Anyone who only discovers during the permitting phase that a facility is located in an ISOS area risks more than just delays. They risk the entire project. Over 1,200 localities are classified as nationally significant in the ISOS, and their impact zones extend far into the landscape. Anyone who ignores this is building on sand.

5. How do you prevent the wrong project and when does effective opposition begin?

The political trend is toward acceleration. Procedures are to be shortened, objections made more difficult, and approvals more predictable. This is attractive to investors. For municipalities, it is risky. The Acceleration Decree is not a carte blanche: it is intended to streamline procedures, not to eliminate the balancing of interests. This is evident in practice: In the Canton of Zurich, the cantonal government eliminated approximately 40 percent of the canton’s wind power potential with a single decision because the sites failed to meet the criteria for balancing aviation, townscape protection, and proximity to settlements. A blanket “no” will not hold up in accelerated procedures. Anyone who wants to prevent a project doesn’t need to stir up outrage; they need a dossier: noise assessments, ecological surveys, ISOS analysis, infrastructure feasibility studies, and a decommissioning plan. Effective opposition doesn’t begin with protests once the rotors are up. It begins at the land-use planning stage. The end of a plant’s life is particularly underestimated. Wind farms have a limited lifespan. Decommissioning, foundations, access roads, waste disposal, and repowering must already be addressed during the permitting process. Anything else is greenwashing with a time delay. A facility marketed as sustainable today must not end up as an unresolved waste disposal problem for the municipality in twenty years. Without a clear decommissioning obligation and financial guarantees, a wind farm is not fully planned. The energy transition needs speed. But speed is no substitute for sound judgment. Good site decisions are not a contradiction to the energy transition. They are its prerequisite. Whoever places wind turbines in the wrong location produces not only electricity but also resistance. And resistance costs time that the energy transition cannot afford. Good energy policy accelerates the right projects. And it stops the wrong ones early enough.

Do you have a wind project in the works?

Whether you’re a municipality, an affected resident, or a project developer—our team supports you from land-use planning through the ISOS review to the decommissioning plan. Talk to us early on, before the rotors are up. Contact the LINDEMANNLAW team for an initial assessment of your site.

Read the guest commentary in “Finanz und Wirtschaft” (FuW): Windkraft ist kein moralisches Argument – sondern ein Standortentscheid